Chapter 5: 5. The Highest Realm of Deception is to Deceive Even Oneself

5. The highest realm of deception is to deceive even oneself.

"If there is someone around you who is prettier than you, more talented than you, more capable than you, and who has also come into conflict with you, what would you do?"

"Prettier than me?"

Shen Yaoqiao puffed out her cheeks and widened her phoenix eyes.

Qin Yuan supported his forehead with his hand, "Big sister, please focus on the right point."

"Endure it for now, and take revenge when I catch an opportunity later."

Shen Yaoqiao lifted her pointed chin and hummed.

"Correct."

Qin Yuan reached out his hand.

Shen Yaoqiao also reached out her soft, delicate hand.

Slap, the two palms touched.

"Then what if you can't catch an opportunity?"

Shen Yaoqiao furrowed her exquisite little brows and began to ponder.

She looked exactly like an eight-year-old girl doing a math problem.

"Then keep enduring, outlive her, and when she dies, dance on her grave and bully her descendants."

Qin Yuan said.

His answer was based on historical facts.

Look at the powerful nations of the world today; which one hasn't spent decades or even a century playing the role of the grandson?

To become the grandfather, one must first be the grandson; that is an eternal truth.

"It's been so long, and you still want revenge?"

Shen Yaoqiao found it hard to accept Qin Yuan's point of view.

"The Sage once said, a grudge spanning ten generations can still be avenged."

"Since Confucius said so, then it must be fine."

Shen Yaoqiao had a serious little expression on her face.

Paired with her devastatingly beautiful looks and the bodice that could barely contain her chest.

It was very charming.

Slap!

Qin Yuan slapped himself awake.

He just couldn't control himself.

Should he just castrate himself for a permanent cure?

A ruthless thought occurred to Qin Yuan.

Shen Yaoqiao was startled, "Why did you hit yourself?"

"I don't know either. I don't know what's wrong lately; my hands are a bit out of control. It's possible I might take advantage of you, so you'd better keep your distance from me."

Qin Yuan warned solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yaoqiao's long, alluring eyes brightened slightly, then she pretended to shrink back and gave a soft, weak warning: "You dare."

"Again."

"My turn, it's my turn..."

Shen Yaoqiao said in a hurried, anxious manner.

Like a little girl.

"Fine, you go."

Qin Yuan said irritably.

"I..."

Shen Yaoqiao struggled for a long time but couldn't come up with a question.

"Let me go again. In the hinterlands of an Otherworld, when you encounter someone whose strength is inferior to yours, similar to yours, and higher than yours, how do you act in each case?"

"Fight, fight with some tricks, and run."

Shen Yaoqiao wore an expression that said, 'I am incredibly clever.'

"In the first scenario, how do you know they aren't hiding their strength? In the second, how do you know their tricks aren't more brilliant than yours? In the third, are you sure you can escape? I can practically see your miserable end after being captured."

Shen Yaoqiao imagined the scene of her beautiful self falling into the hands of the enemy, and her expression became somewhat unnatural.

She asked weakly: "Then, then what should I do?"

"Don't go to the Otherworld hinterlands."

"Big sister will listen to you and not go to the Otherworld hinterlands; I'll just stay in the academy and be a homebody."

Shen Yaoqiao clenched her little fists with a very serious expression.

Qin Yuan thought to himself, 'Good heavens, she solved it once and for all.'

"Ahem."

A cough came from behind.

Qin Yuan turned his head to look at Shen Zhilu, who was standing not far away with an expressionless face.

Qin Yuan immediately put on a look of surprise.

In reality, he had already performed two biometric identifications (fingerprint and facial recognition) and one non-biological identification (soul signature recognition) on Shen Zhilu.

The next moment, Qin Yuan lost his composure.

Because a glowing feather duster had appeared in Shen Zhilu's hand.

One look and it was clear it was made from the feathers of an Otherworld predator.

It would definitely hurt a lot if it hit someone.

Qin Yuan instinctively covered his head.

Immediately after, Shen Yaoqiao's screams rang out.

Qin Yuan scratched the back of his head.

Little friend, are there many question marks in your head?

Yes.

"Ouch, Dad, why are you only hitting me?"

Shen Yaoqiao asked back while dodging.

It was clearly Qin Yuan who was instigating her.

That's right... Qin Yuan also wondered in his heart.

"Ah Yuan has ordinary aptitude; not going to the Otherworld hinterlands is a wise choice. You are different."

The force of the feather duster in Shen Zhilu's hand increased significantly.

There was one more thing he didn't say: Shen Yaoqiao was his biological daughter, and Qin Yuan was not.

"Dad, actually my aptitude is also very ordinary."

Shen Yaoqiao spouted nonsense.

Shen Zhilu sneered: "If your aptitude is ordinary, how could you learn it after watching it twice?"

Qin Yuan, standing to the side, expressed his disagreement.

With his ordinary aptitude, he had learned it before even finishing watching it once.

"Earth Escape."

Shen Yaoqiao was just about to enter the ground.

Then she let out an 'ouch,' clutched her reddened head, and looked at her heartless father with teary eyes.

Immediately after, she was surprised to find that the pain had vanished, as if the person being hit was someone else.

She secretly glanced at Qin Yuan, who was hiding far away.

Eight out of ten, no, ten out of ten, it was Qin Yuan's doing.

He had actually silently transferred the damage her father had inflicted.

The annoying little brother she had grown up with had secretly grown to this extent.

What on earth had that annoying little brother experienced over these years?

"Ah! Ah!"

Shen Yaoqiao didn't forget to coordinate with some screams.

Shen Zhilu sneered.

If I let you dodge it, then all my years of fighting in the Otherworld would have been in vain.

Bang, bang...

The duster fell repeatedly.

Even though Shen Yaoqiao's arms were swelling at a speed visible to the naked eye.

She didn't feel any pain at all.

On the contrary, it felt quite comfortable.

To avoid being seen through by her heartless father, she squeezed out a few tears in cooperation.

Shen Zhilu, who also felt a bit of heartache for his daughter, withdrew the feather duster, snorted, and walked away.

"Are you alright?" Qin Yuan stopped one meter in front of Shen Yaoqiao and asked with concern.

You bastard, would it kill you to take one more step?

Shen Yaoqiao looked at him with eyes as pitiful as a kitten’s, her voice weak: "It hurts."

Qin Yuan chuckled inwardly.

He didn't expose her, reaching out with his gaze fixed straight ahead; on the surface, he was casting a healing technique, but in reality, he was clearing her meridians and solidifying her Qi Sea.

Shen Yaoqiao squinted her eyes, making strange "mm-ah" sounds.

Big sister, you’re going to make people misunderstand.

Qin Yuan subconsciously glanced in the direction where Father Shen had disappeared.

After a while.

Qin Yuan couldn't wait to withdraw his hand: "It's done."

It was as if he hadn't just been massaging a charming beauty, but a piece of expired, water-injected pork.

With flushed cheeks, Shen Yaoqiao blinked her watery eyes: "Was that you just now?"

"It wasn't me, I didn't do it, don't talk nonsense," Qin Yuan denied in a triple-threat.

Shen Yaoqiao looked at Qin Yuan quietly, saying nothing.

"Fine, it was me."

Qin Yuan admitted.

To hide for a long time, one must have someone responsible for covering for them.

Shen Yaoqiao was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

Since he needed someone's help, he had to treat them with sincerity.

After a moment of silence, Shen Yaoqiao asked curiously: "A-Yuan, tell your sister the truth, what is your cultivation level exactly?"

"I don't know."

Qin Yuan shook his head.

His expression was very serious, his gaze very sincere.

"You don't know?"

Shen Yaoqiao stared at Qin Yuan in astonishment.

How could there be such a thing as not knowing one's own cultivation level in this world?

"I deleted the memory of how much cultivation I have."

Qin Yuan pointed to his own head.

The highest realm of hiding one's cultivation is to hide it even from oneself.

Otherwise, what if one were to blurt it out in their sleep or have their memories searched by someone else?